The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) has launched a major competition to find an Energy and Data Centre Partner (EDCP) for its 700-hectare site in South Wales. The selection of this partner is a crucial step in GCRE’s plan to become Europe’s leading centre for rail and sustainable mobility innovation, and specifically, the UK’s first-ever net zero in operation railway.
The GCRE site, built on a former open cast mine equivalent in size to Gibraltar, is seeking a partner to develop Renewable Energy Sources (RES) alongside a data centre that will be powered by that green energy.
A Unique Infrastructure Opportunity
GCRE has officially launched its EDCP Invitation to Tender (ITT) on the Sell to Wales platform this week, and the company is encouraging all interested parties to submit proposals before the competition closes on November 21st, 2025. A partner is expected to be appointed in the Spring of 2026.
GCRE Ltd Chief Executive Simon Jones said: “This is a unique opportunity for a long-term partnership with GCRE. The GCRE site’s size, power grid and telecoms connectivity make it very attractive for the development of renewable energy assets and data centre infrastructure. 132kV and 400kV power grids cross the site, with excellent future fibre connectivity being progressed for the area.”
The selected partner will be instrumental in helping GCRE achieve its environmental goals.
Simon Jones continued: “This is an important moment for GCRE as we launch an exciting new competition to find a partner that can develop new renewable energy assets on the site and take forward the opportunity for a data centre supported by that energy. A partner with the right skills can help us deliver a sustainable energy solution for the site and help GCRE achieve its ambition to be a net zero in operation facility. The work will further enhance the economic attractiveness of the site, particularly as we continue our search for private rail investment. The new partnership will be a vital foundation for the future funders of the GCRE railway. Certainty about power and when it will be available is a central theme of the investment discussions we have held with the market. Appointing this partner will be a considerable step towards achieving the wider GCRE vison.”
Driving Economic Transformation in South Wales
The EDCP competition is being developed in parallel with GCRE’s separate search for private investment to fund the railway itself. The CEO noted that linking the rail innovation hub with modern energy infrastructure is key to rebuilding local prosperity in the deindustrialised area of South West Wales.
Simon Jones added: “Launching this competition now, in parallel with our continued work to develop GCRE, supports the mission we have to help rebuild local prosperity. By developing the site as a magnet for world class rail innovation alongside modern renewable energy infrastructure, we can help support the local and regional economies through the creation of new green jobs and skills in this important part of South West Wales. This is an open invitation to everyone in the market and we are encouraging interested parties to come forward with creative and imaginative proposals. Through this competition we see opportunities for the development of sustainable energy assets and infrastructure that can help transform the economic fortunes of a deindustrialised area.”
The need for sustainable, high-capacity infrastructure is growing, driven by the shift towards net zero and the growth of new technologies like AI.
Simon Jones concluded: “Our economy is changing fast as we move towards a net zero future and with the growth of new technology. We’ve seen just recently the major investments being made in large sites that have potential to generate sustainable energy and be a home to infrastructure that can support developments such as AI. Wales has to move quickly to ensure it can use its natural assets to take advantage of those opportunities and build a new economic future for itself, particularly in areas like the South Wales coalfield. Through GCRE and the modern energy and data infrastructure we can build on the site, we can help give the valleys of South West Wales a new economic future, by harnessing the sustainable energy potential around us and using that as a platform for new green jobs around an international rail cluster. It’s an exciting future and that’s why we’re looking for a quality energy partner to help us achieve it.”
Details of the competition can be found at: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP548385
